By Design - Review of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival

      By Design, 2025.

      Written and Directed by Amanda Kramer.

      Featuring Juliette Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Melanie Griffith, Samantha Mathis, Robin Tunney, Alisa Torres, Udo Kier, Clifton Collins Jr., Betty Buckley, Ruby Cruz, Cristobal Tapia Montt, Jessie-Ann Kohlman, and Cricket Arrison.

      SYNOPSIS:

      A woman exchanges bodies with a chair, and everyone prefers her as a chair. Juliette Lewis' Camille, a wealthy yet somewhat popular woman who feels empty and is experiencing a midlife crisis, claims that holding onto resentment is akin to drinking poison while waiting for the other person to suffer. Later, a friend expresses confusion over Camille's statement. The essence of By Design becomes clear long before it concludes. Amanda Kramer's deadpan, experimental comedy is straightforward in its metaphor and presents several ideas related to its premise. However, its indulgent execution can feel drawn out, causing the significance to be lost as attention wavers.

      This is particularly disappointing given the strong performances from Juliette Lewis and a supporting cast that includes Mamoudou Athie—who adeptly plays quirky characters while providing them with depth—alongside Samantha Mathis and Robin Tunney in the roles of Camille’s sycophantic friends, and Melanie Griffith, credited as The Voice, serving as a narrator. All of them embrace the odd premise where Camille longs to switch bodies with an ordinary wooden chair she views as more beautiful and purposeful than herself. When Mamoudou Athie’s Olivier inherits the chair as a parting gift from his girlfriend Marta (Alisa Torres), the chair—now holding Camille's essence—becomes appealing.

      While By Design is unafraid to delve into the bizarre, featuring elements like interpretive dance with the chair and interactions with Camille’s unconscious form as characters speculate on her feelings, it struggles to deliver its metaphorical commentary with any real impact. It remains a quirky film that doesn’t venture beyond superficiality.

      Some tedious segments, like a drawn-out gag featuring a pervert played by Clifton Collins Jr. that starts humorously but devolves into a lengthy, distasteful monologue, contribute to a sense of aimlessness. This issue is compounded by the film's brief 90-minute runtime.

      Amanda Kramer addresses themes of women feeling objectified or believing they would find happiness in being deemed more desirable. She also explores the possessive attitudes men can exhibit toward women in submissive roles, likening them to a wooden chair. However, the critiques in By Design come off as too simplistic and broad, failing to fully embrace the eccentric nature of its concept. The film does present humorous exchanges and amusing moments along with a creative idea, but it ultimately falls short of leaving viewers with lasting reflections once it concludes. It is unconventional but lacks the confidence or insight on how to explore its peculiar premise effectively.

      Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

      Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Association, and Online Film Critics Society. He also serves as the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews and follow me on BlueSky or Letterboxd.